Amalgamator.



P. KUEHN AMALGAMATOR,

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 25, 1911.

Patnted M 1'.5,1912.

anvem to o I wwwmeo W WM m UN STATES FATE ent ies. v

PAUL KUEHN','OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO SHAREHOLDERS PROTECTIVELEAGUE, LIMITED, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

AMALGAMATOR.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PAUL Knnrm, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State ofMichigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAmalgamators, of Which the following a specification, reference beinghad therein to the acc mpanying drawings.

In devices employing, mercury as the agent for recovering minerals fromtheir ores, it has been considered necessary to pro vide mechanicalmeans for agitating the mercury or pulp in order to bring active mercuryinto proximity with the minerals contained in the pulp to formamalgam,'but when so agitated much of the. mercury and amalgam passesinto the waste and is lost unless recovered by a separate operation.

The object of this invention is to provide a construction which is suchas to obviate the necessity for mechanical agitation and is simple inits operation and cheap to manufacture. I

To this end the invention consists in providing an apparatus for soconducting pulp into a receptacle containing mercury that all of itsprecious metals will be brought into contact with. the mercury with butslight agitation thereof, and provided with certain other new and usefulfeatures in the construction and arrangement of parts all as hereinafterset forth and more particularly pointed out in the claims referencebeing The figure represents a longitudinal vertical section through adevice embodying the invention.

As shown in the drawing, 1 is a suitablereceptacle of any desired sizeor form hav ing an open top and provided with a pipe 2 leading from itsbottom, provided with a draw-off valve 3. Supported above the receptacleis a hopper 4 with its bottom slightly above the horizontal plane of theupper edge of the receptacle 1 and leading downward into the receptaclefrom the bottom of the hopper is a discharge tube 5 having an open lowerend the bottom of the receptacle. Supported within the receptacle with asmall space between it and the bottom of the receptacle is an amalgamplate 6 of slightly less diameter than the internal I diameter of thereceptacle so that there is a narrow space 7 all around the platebetween Specification of Letters Patent,

Application filed September 25, 1911.

had to the accompanying drawing, in which Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

Serial No. 651,111.

its edge and the vertical wall of the receptacle-and between its lowersurface and the bottom of the receptacle. The lower end of the tube.5 isso positioned that a narrow spaceS is left between said end and theupper surface of the plate through which space the pulp or crushed orecontaining the metals to be extracted, passes into the receptacle and inpassing is brought into contact with a thin coating of mercury lyingupon the upper surface of the plate. Mercury 9 fills the space betweenthe plate and the bottom of the receptacle and also forms-a thin filmover the upper surface of the plate, filling the space 7 at the edgethereof.

The crushed ore in the form of pulp is conducted by a suitable flush ofwstter into the hopper 4 in any desired manner, as by a trough 10leading from a suitable ore crusher, or the pulp may be passed overordinary amalgam plates to take out the heavier particles of metalbefore passing into the hopper. From the hopper it settles down in thedischarge tube and is forced out of the bottom end thereof into thereceptacle by gravity. through the narrow passage 8 between the lowerend of the'tube 5 and the plate 6, the pulp is brought in contact withthe film of mercury on the plate and the particles of precious metalcontained therein are amalgamated. As amalgam is formed at the lower endof the tube it is pushed radially outward over the surface of the plateby the incoming pulp and passes over its edge into the mercury spacebelow active mercury taking its place upon'the upper sufface of theplate where it comes in contact with the pulp. The pulp being lighterthan the mercury, rises in the receptacle and gradually overflows into asuitable trough In passing 11 for conducting it away. The upper end 1 ofthe tube 5 being only a very little abov e the upper end of thereceptacle, the pulp will flow slowly downward through the tube and riseslowly in the receptacle, thus being agitated but slightly and notagitating the mercury at a l further than to pass over the plate whichis covered by a thin film of mercury. In this construction the amalgamformed on the surface of the mercury is constantly carried toward theedge of the plate, and thus active mercury is presented at the pointWhere the pulp enters, and the pulp is forced into contact therewith bythe column of pulp above it in the tube and by the quantity of pulp inthe receptacle.

WVhcn the mercury has become amalga- 1. In'an amalgamator,thecombination of a stationary receptacle having an open upper end, astationary plate supported within the receptacle with a space between itand the bottom of the receptacle, mercury tilling the space between theplate and the bottom cf the receptacle and forming a film over the topof the plate, a stationary feed member extending downward into -thereceptacle to feed material by gravity and having a restricted spacebetween its open lower end and the upper surface of the plate to retardflow from the feed member into the receptacle in contact with saidplate, means for conducting material into the upper end of the feedmember, and means for conducting overflow away from the receptacle.

2. In an amalgamator, the combination of a stationary receptacle open atits upper end, a discharge pipe leading from the bottom of thereceptacle, a stationary amalgam plate supported within the receptaclewith a space between its edges and the Walls of the receptacle and witha space between it and the bottom of the receptacle, a stationary feedpipe for conducting material by gravity into the said receptacle andextending downward into the same at the center thereof with a restrictedspace between its open lower end and. the upper side of the plate, theupper end of said pipe being above the upper edge of said receptacle tocause the material to feed by gravity down the. same and overflow fromthe receptacle.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature 1n presence of two witnesses.

PAUL KUEHN.

\Vitnesses LEWIS FLANDERS, A. M. SHANNON.

